


Escape Night

by Maggie_GoldenStar1530



Series: Dar'Manda One Shots [3]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Cute Kids, Fluff, Foundlings, Gen, Pre-Canon, Sneaking Out, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23262868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maggie_GoldenStar1530/pseuds/Maggie_GoldenStar1530
Summary: Every so often, the Foundlings sneak out of the Covert to run the rooftops of Navarro.It involved being able to take recon from other people who’d been above, and figure out where they could go, and where they shouldn’t go.It involved knowing the routines of the adults, so they wouldn’t be caught.And most importantly, it involved keeping it real cool so the adults wouldn’t suspect anything.(Takes place years before season 1)
Series: Dar'Manda One Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1753318
Comments: 18
Kudos: 94





	Escape Night

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Dar'Manda Series. You don't need to have read all of that of that for these stories to make sense, but these exist within that universe.

They planned this with the precision of a military strike. 

It involved knowing the exits to the Covert, and the ways to the surface. It involved knowing the ways to sneak back down into the Covert. 

It involved being able to take recon from other people who’d been above, and figure out where they could go, and where they shouldn’t go. 

It involved knowing the routines of the adults, so they wouldn’t be caught.

And most importantly, it involved keeping it real cool so the adults wouldn’t suspect  _ anything _ .

The Foundlings ran around the covert as normal (be cool, be cool!), playing, but the oldest three, Vayez, his sister Vha, and Opo, were on recon duty. The last time they snuck out, they had been caught, and made to inform Paz and the Armorer what route they used. They had to devise a new escape route. 

There were rules to these escapades. And they were important. Only Foundlings older than 10 could go. If you weren’t yet 10, you either were given the responsibility to distract the adults, or not told  _ anything  _ because you could not be trusted to spill all the beans.

(Only once has someone deliberately told on them. Only once, the Foundlings say, darkly. He was taught a hard lesson once the punishments had been completed. “And no one trusted him again,” they whisper.) 

They’d picked the night the moon was almost dark. Previous excursions had been during the dark of the moon, which made the adult suspicious on those nights. Vha had suggested two nights after the full dark of the moon, because, she reasoned, the adults would be much more relaxed.

_ Everyone keep cool. _

The littlest Foundling was Anipi, who was six. She didn’t have a particularly devious turn of mind, but she had big, sad eyes and would do anything (anything) her ori’vod Opo would tell him needed to be done. She could also, much to the delight of every Foundling in the Covert, cry on cue, big, howling, gulping sobs that caused every adult to focus all of their attention on just making the kid stop crying. 

This was a resource, explained Opo. They could not waste it. Asking Anipi to cry just because you did not want to do exercises wasn’t a good use of a limited resource. It did not help the  _ team. _

Six of them were making the escape tonight. 

“Do we go with helmets, or without?” Ajusu asked, during one of the many strategy sessions. He was ten, and this was his first time making the escape.

“With. We are  _ Mando’ade _ , and we do not go outside without our helmets.” 

“But what if we get caught?” Ajusu lowered his voice to a whisper. “By auretii?”

“We won’t, not if we stick to the plan.”

The oldest ones did have a plan. There’s always a plan B, and a plan C. If one of them got caught, the others would bum rush the auretii, and then scatter to the various entrances to the sewers. If that didn’t work, if they were truly out of options, then one of the Foundlings left behind had a communicator and would go get an adult. 

But it would never come to that. 

The chosen night came. It was deeply important that everyone be real cool and act totally normal. The Foundlings all trooped to bed as normal (be cool!) and waited for their various buirs to go to bed. 

Adults trickled to the sleeping quarters. Foundlings snuck out and went to the pre-arranged meeting place. Opo was always last, because he had the secret weapon of the crying baby to deploy. Ajusu’s buir had sentry duty that night, and was being a little  _ too _ watchful. Opo sighed to himself, and sent the baby out. “Be confused, ask for a drink.”

“Pirur!” Anipi whimpered through the hall. “Pirur? Ba’vodu? Pirur?”

Opo and Ajusu made a quick dart down one of the side tunnels, and met the others. They all looked at each other excited, dim light from the street above reflecting on their helmets. “Oya Manda!” They all whispered, and darted down the tunnels, making several quick turns before emerging on a dark street. It was important that the oldest ones didn’t outrun the youngest- short legs are short. 

Opo pointed up one building, and they all swarmed up the wall, finding the tiniest of hand and foot holds. Once on the roof, they looked out over the town. Vayez took point. This was his fourth escape, and he knew the roofs of Navarro the best. 

“The common house for the beroya guild is over there, and it’s always open. So we want to avoid it. Over there is the medical center, and the walls are fun to climb, but there’s also sentry droids. So we’ll see how things are going with the ade.” 

Ajusu scowled. “I can keep up with you!”

“Of course you can, vod.” Vayez patted Ajusu on the helmet, “Okay! Watch where I go, and follow close!” He took off, jumping across a narrow alley. The others followed. 

For an hour they leapt back and forth over the roofs of Navarro, darting close but never so far as the guild common house. They boosted each other up the walls, and once, Ajusu was able to help Opo over a wall when Opo’s hand slipped.

It was the proudest moment of his life. 

“Medical center?” panted Vha. “The littles are doing well.” 

Vayez cocked his head, thinking, in a miniature pose of his buir, Paz. “Yes. OYA!” 

“OYA!” They ran towards the medical center, not noticing the glint of a beskar helm below them. 

Sentry droids were fun to play with. On Navarro, they were usually cheap models that only had one programmed route, so they were easy to avoid once you learned the pattern. Vayez was certain that the pattern hadn’t changed the past two years, so he didn’t pause when charging for the medical center’s wall. 

Of course, it had changed. Someone had gotten the credits to upgrade the sentry droids- not a lot, but enough that they noticed the movement on the wall, and as the kids got to the top, a droid followed them. 

“Oh no.” whispered Ajusu. “We’re gonna get caught.” 

“No, we’re not.” declared Vayez. He gestured to his sister. “You’re fastest. Get it to chase you, and the rest of us will head back towards the bazaar. Once we get there, Opo, you take Ajusu and the rest of us will split up and meet at the rendezvous point near the fountain. Everyone got it?”

They all nodded, and Ajusu whispered, “Yes, al’verde.” 

They took off, Vha charging straight across the sentry droid’s field of vision, and the rest of them scrambling down the walls. Once near the bazaar, they scattered, Opo and Ajusu taking the easiest route, and the rest of them bouncing from building to building. 

Down in the Covert, Din entered with a pocket full of credits and a bag full of pastries. He nodded a greeting at Paz. “Saw some helmets on a roof near the common house. Is it escape night again?”

Paz nodded. “They’re  _ so proud _ of themselves.” His voice was bursting with pride. He cocked his head, listening. 

“Who’s got the hidden communicator this time?” 

“Put it in my oldest ad’ika’s helmet when he was sleeping a few nights ago.” 

“You do take it out when they get back, right?”

Paz glared. “Of course. What fucking monster of a parent would spy on their kid all the time?” He paused again. “Oops, they’ve had to split up.”

“Should we be worried?”

“Nah, they’re fine.” 

Vha led the sentry droid on a merry chase, doing her best to keep in the dark on the off chance it had been upgraded to one that could record images. She was laughing as she jumped off the medical center onto the roof of a warehouse, and misjudged the distance. She landed awkwardly, clonking her helmet and smashing her arm on a ledge. “KRIFF.” 

She tried to wiggle her fingers, and they wouldn’t move. “Haar’chak!” She scowled, and looked around, thinking furiously. What route could she do with one arm? She looked down at the street, then saw an entrance to the sewers below. That would do. She slithered through the grate and started to run towards the bazaar. 

The other Foundlings were waiting at their rendezvous point and Vayez tilted his head at Vha, holding her arm. “What happened to you?”

“I broke it.” 

Opo sighed. “We’re gonna get caught again.” 

Vha and Vayez grinned at each other through their helmets. “No, we thought about this. We’re gonna get up early to train. And then I’m gonna have a training accident. It’ll be fine.”

“Is that what you were gonna do if one of us got hurt?” demanded Ajuru. 

“Yes.”

“Oh. Okay.” 

Paz sighed. “Vha has a broken arm. Lets see if they can manage this plan of theirs to hide it until tomorrow.” 

Din suppressed a chuckle. “They take after you.” 

“That’s a curse if I ever heard one.” 

The Foundlings very carefully made their way back into the Covert, slipping one at a time back to their beds, smug in the thought of another successful escape night. Vha thought she was lucky that someone had _just happened_ to leave some painkillers out in the common space.

The adults that were awake peered out from the Forge. The Foundlings were the future, and the future looked to be in good hands. 

Years later, after the Covert had relocated, another crop of Foundlings made their escape night ritual, joined by their tiny green vod. He wasn’t tall, but he had the ability to launch himself up walls and to keep up with the other ade.

His Buir sat at home and listened as they ran, smiling. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> HAVE SOME FLUFF IN THIS TIME OF PLAGUE 
> 
> Mando'a Translations:
> 
> ori’vod: Older sbling  
> Mando’ade: Mandalorians (pl) - sons and/ or daughters of Mandalore  
> auretii: Outsiders  
> buir: Parent  
> Pirur: Drink  
> Ba’vodu: Aunt/Uncle  
> beroya: Bounty hunter  
> ade: Children  
> vod: Sibling  
> Oya Manda: Expression of Mandalorian solidarity and perpetuity: emotional and assertive.  
> Oya: Many meanings: literally *Let's hunt!* and also *Stay alive!*, but also *Hoorah!*, *Go you!*, *Cheers!* Always positive and triumphant.  
> beskar: Mandalorian Iron  
> al’verde: Commander  
> ad’ika: Child  
> Haar’chak: Dammit!


End file.
